


Visions of You

by Chani_Moon



Category: Highlight | Beast (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Astral Projection, F/M, Friendship, Ghosts, Junhyung gets beat up whoops, Just a lil bit of blood, Kidnappers are sketchy, Maybe a lot of blood oops, Parapsychology, Romance, Slight Violence, just a bit of Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-22
Updated: 2017-05-25
Packaged: 2018-11-03 14:58:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10969632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chani_Moon/pseuds/Chani_Moon
Summary: He's just a ghost, or is he? She can see him. They can save him.





	1. How It Starts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hullo all of you lovely people! While this isn't my first fic, it IS my first story on AO3, so don't be too rough with me. Now I'll be the first to admit that this isn't my finest work(most of it was written after midnight most of the time), but hopefully my lovely beta reader, Antigone, will help with that! Please stay tuned for the upcoming chapters, and I hope you enjoy!

“This will be good for you, Chani. A fresh start is just what we needed.” I scoffed as I pulled another large box from the back of the moving truck before hopping down.

“You mean a fresh start is just what _you_ need to forget that your daughter is a freak who sees dead people?” I rolled my eyes with a snort at my mother’s scandalized reaction before I grabbed the heavier of the boxes we had pulled from the back of the van. I wasn’t about to hear her reply, it would probably be along the lines of _‘oh don’t say that sweetie. You’re a normal young woman! You just happen to have certain senses that others don’t.'_ I’d heard it all before. Though it was mostly after she pulled me out from the psych center my father had thrown me into. He’d never believed in my gift. He’d thought I was schizo or something, that I needed to be medicated and locked away so people didn’t hear about how messed up his daughter was. Ironically, it only reinforced the idea that he was an ass in the public eye. 

“It will be different here, Chani." I jumped a bit, not having heard my mother sneak up on me from behind. "Your father isn’t here to poison your mind with those horrible words.” 

“Dad might not be here, but you’re still forcing me to live with you. We both know that you don't fully believe in my gift, either.” My voice went from snappy to monotone, and my mother’s silence told me that I had struck a nerve. It had to be the only reason. Why else would she have gotten the doctor’s order for her twenty-five year old daughter to keep living with her?

She said nothing further, and I took that as my cue to get the hell out of there. After adjusting the box on my hip, I stomped my way up the stairs, heading straight for the room I’d claimed during our walk through. As cliche as it sounds, the room called out to me. It felt like it was meant to be my room. Of course, I hadn’t felt any signs of spirits in the house, so I couldn’t say it was something supernatural calling me to it. I just knew that it had to be mine. Or maybe it was just a teeny tiny bit supernatural. “Limestone window panes. How...Different.” I could almost see my mother’s scrunched up nose, but I kept my back to her. “I hope this doesn’t cause any-" She paused to let out the most awkward cough I had ever heard. "-Problems.” I rolled my eyes for the millionth time as I finally turned, taking the box out of her hands to set it on my bed. 

“Even if it does, it’s not your problem. I’m not bothered by them, mother.” I kept the sneer to myself, though I'm sure it was hinted in my voice at the formal use of maternal identification. I’d gotten used to seeing them, even though if I’d tried my very best to keep my gift hidden. Now there was no one to hide from, and if I wanted to prance around my house talking to spirits, then I would. 

“Get some rest, Chani. You have a long day ahead of you.” Thankfully she ignored my clipped comments, but the words made me groan. With all of the stress from the move, I’d nearly forgotten that my classes would start the following morning. Of course, I hadn’t been completely honest with my mother when I’d mentioned my major. I’d only told her I was studying Psychology...I hadn’t mentioned that there was a ‘Para’ in front of that. Why did she think I chose this University in the first place? They openly studied the supernatural world and spiritualism. There was no way I was going to pass up such an opportunity.

I tried my best to hurry through unpacking all of my necessities, leaving all of the heavy lifting as well as my books and trinkets for after my classes. It was well into the evening when I finished. I didn’t even bother with dinner, or changing my clothes, as I flopped face down onto my bed.


	2. I See You

“It’s rude to watch someone change, you know.” I grumbled the words at the icy chill I felt behind me. It was only a matter of time. Two months without incident in the new house meant nothing when you were like a lighthouse for Spirits. As soon as my shirt shifted over my head, I whipped around to glare at the offender, but I was stunned into a near stupor at what I saw. It was clearly a Spirit, but also...not. He just looked like a normal kid standing in the middle of my bedroom. No torn up clothes, tormented look, sunken cheeks, or dark shadows under his eyes. Hell, he didn’t even have the creepy pale face! “Who are you?” I couldn’t stop the question, but I wasn’t really ready for the answer.

“I don’t know.” His voice sent a shiver down my spine. It wasn’t wispy or hollow, nor distorted in any way, shape, or form. It was, once again, like he was just a dude standing in my room. Also unlike the usual Spirits I’ve dealt with, he seemed completely confused. Not exactly...Shocked that I could see him, but actually lost. As I tried to formulate other questions to ask, I took a moment to give him a good once over. He was tall, very tall. His hair was long and shaggy, and had clearly once been dyed light purple, though it was now faded at the roots. The bleach blonde went all the way to the tips, where only a splattering of the purple remained. 

When I recovered from the shock of his appearance enough to speak once more, he began to fade away. “Wait!” Here’s another difference: He’d been nearly gone, but he once again stood directly in front of me when I called out to him. “Do you remember anything?” My voice was shaking slightly from the unfamiliarity of the interaction, but a heaved out a sigh of relief when the guy shook his head and vanished from my room. 

For some reason I couldn’t stop trembling. Something about the situation felt off, and I disliked anything that was unfamiliar, especially when I’d thought that I had figured out this whole seeing ghosts thing out. “Chani! Time to go!” My mother’s voice snapped me back into reality, and I grabbed up my bag and hurried out of my room. “Chani! Are you alright? You look like you’ve seen a-” She stopped herself mid sentence when I reached the bottom of the stairs, but I knew how that phrase was going to end. 

“I did. At least. I think I did? I don’t know. It was...Strange.” I shook my head a bit as I grabbed my sweater from the hook by the door. For some reason I thought it would help with the chill that had settled in my bones. “Forget it. I don’t wanna be late.” I grumbled at my mother’s pained expression before pushing my way past her. Thankfully she dropped the subject as we got into the car, and she stayed blissfully silent the entire way to campus.

“You say he looked...Normal?” I ran a hand through my hair as I shifted on the uncomfortable couch located in my Paranormal Research and Technology Professor’s office. I’d grown quite attached to him in my two months of attending the University, due to our common connection to the spirit world, so I figured he would have a reasonable explanation for this morning’s oddities. “There are many possibilities, but I’m automatically ruling some of them out.” I lifted an eyebrow in his direction, silently willing him to elaborate. “Well, one theory would be that he was a very powerful spirit. Strong enough to mask his Death Cloak and appear normal, but from the clothes you described I don’t think that’s a possibility.” That made sense. Even after watching the living for so long, an exceptionally powerful Spirit would still show itself in the clothing it felt comfortable in, and the button up and jeans proved that he hadn’t been dead all that long. If he even was dead. “The other strong possibility, one that I’m not quite ready to rule out yet...What if this boy isn’t dead at all? There have been plenty of cases of Mediums and Sensitives running into Astral Projections. These people wouldn’t even know that they’re casting their Unconscious out into the world.”

I lamented and flopped back onto the couch, running my hands over my face. “There are so many possibilities, but I just don’t know. He didn’t know his name. I don’t think he knew anything! He looked so lost and...Scared.” A shiver went down my spine once more and I let out a shaky breath. 

“Why don’t you skip our class today?” My professor suggested as he pulled some dusty books down from the top shelf. “Take the time to look through some of these. If anything, they’ll help you better communicate with this boy if he shows himself again.” I was finally able to smile softly as I stood up, only to plop myself down at the more comfortable desk chair. 

“Thank you, for all of this. I know you have much more pressing matters you could be dealing with.” I watched the resigned roll of his eyes before clapping a hand over my shoulder.

“I remember how scared and alone I felt when I was first figuring out my gifts. I feel joy in taking away that fear from someone so young.” For a moment we just grinned at each other before a small stack of books was set in front of me. “Behave yourself. I’ll be back when class is over.”

For the next two and a half hours I stared at those pages, trying to make sense of the words that seemed to jumble together. “Nothing makes sense!” I finally groaned as I slammed the volume shut, running my hands over my face out of frustration. The common factor among all of the books is the fact that Astral's wouldn’t be drawn to my light, but there was only one explanation: He had to be projecting himself from somewhere. He _had_ to be projecting himself from somewhere. 

I ended up going home more confused than when I left for class, sulking the entire walk. At least I’d convinced my mother to stay at work instead of leaving to pick me up. As usual, I had to keep my eyes down. If I ended up seeing a spirit on the street, I didn’t want to look like a total goon by conversing with it around people. 

Thankfully, my walk home was uneventful, but it was when I reached the gate that I noticed an older female gazing up at my new home. “Hello? Can I help you?” I called out in my most soft and polite voice, as I approached the woman. Apparently she hadn’t noticed me, since she jumped nearly a mile high and slapped a hand over her chest. “I didn’t mean to startle you.” I apologized sheepishly with a low bow, but the woman waved it off.

“Oh no. It’s no problem. I should have been paying more attention.” Even as she spoke, her eyes were glued to the house. I had to admit, I felt a bit uncomfortable. Though her eyes were sad, she stood straight with a confidence I would more than likely never have, and it threw me off a bit. “I’m sorry, I’m being rude. My name is Yang Minji. I used to live here.” Realization dawned on me, and I felt like an idiot. 

“You came for the stuff in the attic?” She nodded with her own nervous smile, obviously relieved that she didn’t have to spit it out herself. Without another word I unlocked the gate, leading the woman inside. Being the ‘kind’ person I was, I started the kettle so I could at least offer this woman some tea before I led her upstairs.

I was a little surprised, however, when she stopped in front of my room. I paused behind her, gauging her reaction. She didn’t seem sad, per se, but there was a certain look of longing that made the gears start turning. Thankfully she remembered my presence, and her cheeks flushed as she turned to me. “This was my son’s room. He and the neighbor boy always used to play in here.” The gears started grinding even faster, and I couldn’t stop the word vomit.

“Your son? Neighbor boy?” As far as I knew, the house next door remained unoccupied for some reason. 

“Ah, yes.” She rushed to pull out her phone, scrolling through her pictures until she found what she was looking for. “This is my son, Yoseob.” My heart sunk slightly when I realized that her son wasn’t the boy I’d seen in my room. Though I guess that was a good thing. “And this-” She started before scrolling to the next picture. “-This is Seobbie’s best friend, Junhyung.” This time my heart stopped altogether. “They haven’t seen each other in so long, though. My poor boy hasn’t seen Jun since he started University.” Every muscle in my body stiffened. This was unexpected. I now had a name to match the face, but I didn’t know what to do with it. “I’m sorry, I’m being sentimental.” She waved her hand, pocketed her phone, and moved to the other end of the hall. She was slightly shorter than myself, so I was the one to pull the cord down, releasing the stairs to the attic. “I hope you don’t mind if I come back later for the rest.” She commented as she brought down the last of three boxes she had been looking for.

“Not at all. You’re more than welcome here anytime you’d like.” I gave her my best smile before I helped carry the boxes to the car, then served tea on the porch like I’d originally planned.

“It feels strange to be back here.” The woman began slowly, but if she wanted to talk, I wasn’t going to stop her. I knew how horrible it was to bottle your emotions. “We never really wanted to leave the house, but my boy couldn’t stand to be here after Jun left.” My eyebrow raised of its own accord, and I was more than pleased that I didn’t have to ask creepy stalker questions to get information. “The boys were inseparable, and it nearly broke my baby to watch his best friend get taken away from him. That’s why we moved closer to Jun’s foster home, so they didn’t have to be apart.” 

“May I...Ask what happened?” I couldn’t help but press. Maybe some more information would help me shed a little light on the situation. 

She didn’t hesitate. “When the boys were younger, there was an accident. Both of Junhyung’s parents died, and the boy was sent into the system. The poor thing wasn’t the same. He was barely seventeen and had just lost both of his parents. He acted out a bit, but thankfully my Yoseob was there to keep him grounded.” I nodded slowly, processing all of the information. As far as I knew, this Junhyung _was_ still alive. So the theory that he was projecting was starting to look more and more plausible. “Thank you for listening Miss-” She cut herself off, and it was then that I realized I’d never actually introduced myself.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. Chanyeon. My name is Moon Chanyeon.” My cheeks heated up at my mistake, but the woman only laughed, patting my head as if I were her own child.

“It’s been lovely talking to you. I’ll be back sometime this week for the rest of the boxes.” I smiled at the older woman as I stood, giving her a low bow before watching her walk through the gate. 

As soon as I watched her car pull away from the curb, I released a shaky breath. This was a lot to take in. I had the sense to send a text to my professor, letting him know what I had learned, before I cleaned up the porch and retired to my room.


	3. Memories of Yesterday

“I hope you don’t plan on making a habit of watching me get dressed.” I grumbled as I yanked my shirt down, whipping around to glare at the male who was standing in the center of my room. Instead of looking embarrassed, he still wore that same confused expression, and my heart ached for him. Now that I had a general idea of who he was, I was starting to see him as an actual person, and I wasn't quite sure how to feel about that. “Do you remember anything today?” I pressed as I took a few steps closer. For a moment, he scrunched his face in thought, before shaking his head in defeat. He looked so sullen and forlorn, and I sensed him trying to fade before he even made a move to. “Junhyung, wait!” I called out his name without thought. My cheeks growing warm as he snapped back into my room with his eyes widened in surprise.

“What did you just call me?” Just like the first time, a tingle went down my spine at the tone of his voice. 

“Your name. It’s Junhyung.” Speaking the words proved to be surprisingly difficult. I didn’t want to shock or overwhelm him. Who knew what that could do to his conscious body? _That is if he still had one and my theory was correct._ “Yoseob’s mother showed me a picture of you.” I added, almost as an afterthought, but I had to hope that the names would jog his memory without making him go crazy. Maybe then he wouldn’t look so lost.

“Yoseob.” He whispered his friend's name instead of his own, and pain instantly slipped into his expression. The male clutched his head, yanking at the long blonde strands, and I rushed forwards thoughtlessly.

“Are you okay? I’m so sorry. Just forget I said anything.” I gasped the words frantically, more than a little shocked that I was actually able to put my hands on his shoulders in an attempt to soothe his pain. It didn’t seem to help, though, and I let out a scream of surprise when a thick red welt appeared on the male’s cheek. “Junhyung! What’s happening? Talk to me!” My voice was a little louder, and I was still trying to pull his hands out of his hair.

“Hurts.” He was able to choke out mere seconds before he vanished.

I tumbled forward onto my knees, nearly to the point of hysterics as my head whipped to and fro. “Junhyung? Junhyung can you hear me? Come back!” No matter how many times I called, he didn’t return. After five minutes of trying, I finally gave up, opting to slump down the stairs instead of obsessing over his disappearance.

My walk to school was slow that morning, but I was grateful for the fresh air. Mother had to work an early shift, and I was glad that she hadn’t been there to witness that little episode. The simple thought of it tugged at my heartstrings. The poor thing. What on Earth was he going through? How did he get that scratch? Was it my fault that he was in so much pain? Had I pushed him too far with the mention of his friend?

\-----

“I think someone’s hurting him.” I finally whispered after nearly two minutes of silence. I’d once again skipped my class in favor of reading the professor’s books, and he’d joined me afterwards to discuss this morning’s events. I could practically feel the confused gazed aimed at me, and I slowly closed the books before tugging at my hair, my nails slightly digging into my scalp. “At first I thought it was me, because I pressed too much, but I-I don’t think that’s it.” I shook my head slightly, tugging at the strands of hair more firmly, the frustration burying into my heart. “What if someone’s hurting him? What if that’s why Yang Yoseob hasn’t seen him in nearly a year?” My voice grew softer, and I finally let my hands slump on the desk.

“What did you just say? Who hasn’t seen him?” There was shock evident in the older male’s voice, and I was puzzled before repeating the name. Without saying anything, he began flipping through his class binders, before victoriously slamming his hand down. “Aha!” He motioned for me to lean closer, and I did so without question. “Yang Yoseob, Year two, Advanced Technical Theory.” 

My jaw dropped. “No. It-It couldn’t be the same guy, right?” I stuttered for a few moment, gaping at him like a fish out of water.

“Only one way to find out. Sit in on my class today as my assistant. There are only six kids in this class, since I have to do field work with them. You don’t have anymore classes today, so it won’t be a problem.” He had practically decided for me, but I knew I couldn’t pass up this opportunity. If this really _was_ the same guy, I could possibly gain some intel. I quickly sent my mother a text, informing her that I would be staying an hour or two later to help a professor with some paperwork. She already knew how fond this particular man was of me, even if she still wasn’t aware of what exactly he was teaching. 

It was strange, walking into a classroom, with a stack of binders in my arms and a bag as heavy as myself draped over my shoulder, that I wasn’t preparing to attend. I did, however, relax a bit when I noticed that none of the students had yet to arrive. “Go ahead and take a seat at the desk. I’ll be walking around for most of the class, so feel free to break out the books again until I need you for something.” I gave a quick nod, wasting no time in plopping down in the comfortable leather chair. I nearly groaned in relief as I dropped the bag onto one corner of the desk, still leaving plenty of room for the stack of binders and the few books I had brought with me. 

The new developments were plaguing my mind, and I couldn’t afford that. I needed to figure out a solution as fast as I could. I’d already skipped two classes. I couldn’t keep doing that if I wanted to remain flying under the radar and keep my scholarship. Sure, I was still _technically_ with the professor of my class, but it would be a shame for mother to get a letter from Administration. I didn’t need to be a psychic to know that she would pull me out of this program at the first opportunity, should she ever find out about it.

I had just cracked open one of the Professor’s books about Astral Projection when the door creaked open. I didn’t want to seem odd, so I kept my nose in the book. I used one hand to hold my place while the other rummaged in my own bag for the notebook I’d been scribbling in. It helped to sort out all of the thoughts in my head. “Early as always, Mister Yang. It’s nice to see someone so eager to learn.” The older man was chuckling, but I turned to stone. I could feel every muscle in my body tense up at the name. I could only hope that there was more than one Yang in the class, but a quick scan of the binders I’d brought in crushed it like a bug. It was _him_. I did my best to focus on the page in front of me, hoping with everything I had that I could avoid the inevitable for just a little while longer. “Ah, yes. Allow me to introduce my temporary assistant, Miss Moon Chanyeon. She’s working on a large project with my help, so I’ve got her sticking around for a while.”

The male chuckled again, but I couldn’t even _think_ about smiling. My hands were clenched tight as I slowly lifted my head, trying to look unaffected by the simple sight of the boy from the photos. I gave him a subdued nod of my head before I tried to bury myself back in the book. I kept up my silent prayer that the rest of the class would show up so I could focus, and, for once, luck was on my side. The others filed in before the boy could properly introduce himself, and I silently thanked any Gods who would listen. 

I thought I was managing the class rather well. I only had one brief moment of panic when I had to distribute the lecture materials from inside the bag and Yang Yoseob tried to make eye contact. Most of the time was spent jotting notes down in my book, until I heard a familiar voice. I tensed, I tried to keep my face neutral as I lifted my head. Holy shit. I knew I wasn’t alone when the Professor stuttered through his sentence, glancing at me quickly before going back to his lecture. “Yoseob! Yoseob!” The voice kept growing louder and louder, and I had to resist everything in me to shout back. To tell him to shut up. Yoseob couldn’t hear him so there was no use, but I couldn’t do that. I had to stay quiet, stay _normal_ for just a little while longer. Three minutes.

I endured. I clenched my jaw and stabbed my nails into my own palm as Junhyung continued to scream at his friend to no avail. Finally, _fucking finally_ , the Professor called the end of the class, and everyone filed out, though Yoseob stopped to glance at me before leaving. I could feel the shivers run down my spine as the door closed, and I rushed over to the seat that Junhyung was still occupying. “Junhyung. How did you get here?” His head lifted slowly and pain shot through my chest. He just looked so _sad_.

“I don’t know.” I was getting tired of hearing that. “He couldn’t hear me.” _Well that was new._ This was also the longest he’d ever been in my presence before going poof.

“I’m sorry.” I couldn’t think of anything else to say to the poor soul. Thankfully the Professor was more composed than me.

“Junhyung, right? I’d like you to tell me what you feel right now.” He knelt down, as I was, though he didn’t touch the apparition. Hell, I hadn’t even realized that I had been until I took my hand off of his arm.

“Cold.” Then he was gone, and I heaved out a sigh. 

“Well...That was interesting.” The older male chuckled and I did little more than shake my head. Nothing was making sense to me. He’d never followed me anywhere before. Then again, maybe it was Yoseob he was following, trying to connect with. After all, I was staying in the kid's old room. 

“I’m going home. Maybe he’ll show up again.” I whispered before I gathered my notes and bag, dashing out of the classroom.

I didn’t make it far. I was stopped by a hand on my arm just a few feet away from the room, and I nearly screamed, a hand flying to my chest in reflex. “I’m sorry. The Professor said your name was Moon Chanyeon, right?” I couldn’t keep the panic out of my eyes as I nodded at Yang Yoseob. “I think you met my mother yesterday.” I sucked in a breath as subtly as I could before nodding again. “Look, this is going to sound weird, but I left something in my old room. A necklace. Under the loose floorboard in the closet. If it’s not too much to ask, do you think you could get it for me? A very dear friend of mine gave it to me, and I feel kind of lost without it.” A dear friend. _Junhyung._

“I can do that.” I cursed my voice for being so quiet and shaky, but I had to give the kid _some_ sort of verbal response before I bolted. This day was getting to be just too much.


	4. Pull Me In

My chest was heaving by the time I got home. My bag seemed seventeen pounds heavier as I hauled it up to my room, determined to pour over my notes, and maybe get some actual homework done. Of course, my brain instantly drifted to the request I’d received, the tone of voice Yang Yoseob had used with me. I barely realized what I was doing as I opened the closet door and dropped down to my knees, switching to autopilot. I scraped at the floorboards with the short nubs of my fingernails, looking for one that would come up easily. It took a few minutes of searching until one of the boards finally gave way. I nearly cried as I pried it up, spotting the small leather pouch covered in a thin layer of dust. I grabbed it without a smidgen of hesitation, replacing the board as an afterthought before moving to my bed. 

Ever so carefully, I opened the small pouch to dump the contents into my hand. The thick leather cord came first, followed by the heavy metal pendant. I couldn’t keep my fingers off of it as I took in the shape of the ever branching tree. For some reason it didn’t surprise me that Junhyung had gifted his best friend the Tree of Life. It seemed fitting for the pair. The simple thought of it had my mind going back to Junhyung. The mark on his face that came from nowhere, the lack of knowledge and memories, the fact that I could actually touch him. “What are you, Junhyung?” I whispered the question to myself, not expecting to see feet materialize in front of me seconds later.

My head snapped up, eyes going wide as I took in an appearance that was so drastically different from just hours before. There was a bruise on his cheek, framing the fading scar. He was wearing a flannel, but one of the sleeves was ripped off and blood stained the hem. The holes of his ratty jeans circled jarring scrapes at the knee, but something caught me off guard, something I wouldn’t have caught if I wasn’t paying attention. There, on his wrists, were deep purple rings. Something seemed to click in my brain as I lifted my gaze to his once more, my hand moving on its own to grip one of his. “You’re hurting.” I whispered, and he just stared down at me with those sad eyes.

“Help.” Then he was gone. Everything happened so quickly the room started to spin, and I had to grip the edge of my bed to stay upright. Something was wrong. He wasn’t dead. I could feel it in my bones. I knew one thing for certain: he was in trouble. I needed to have a talk with Yang Yoseob.

\-----

My opportunity came two days later, when I was once again asked to join the Professor. This time, the class was out in the field, practicing with the equipment they’d been studying. As we arrived to the graveyard, the class split off in cliques, but Yoseob remained by the van we’d come in. This was my chance. Now or never. Who cared if I sounded crazy, right? Junhyung needed help. “Want some company?” I started off simple as I approached, slightly surprised by his nod as we began moving through the graveyard. At least he would provide a good distraction, keep my mind off of the wispy figures darting around me trying to grab my attention. Due to the nerves of talking to another person, let alone _Yang Yoseob_ , it took me another five minutes to clear my throat, digging into my pocket to pull out the pouch. “I found it.” I actually felt a little sad to part with it for some reason, but the boy’s eyes lit up.

He instantly fished out the necklace and fastened it around his neck. “Thank you so much. I can’t even begin to think of ways to repay you.” I sucked in a breath. Here we go, Chani. Let’s try not to sound _too_ psychotic.

“Actually...I was hoping you could tell me a little more about your friend. Your mom mentioned him. I think his name was Junhyung?” Good job. Keep it casual. Try not to freak him out.

I watched Yoseob’s face fall from the corner of my eye, and I felt for him. “I mean, there’s not much to say. He’s my best friend. He’s all I’ve got, but I haven’t seen him since he left for University.” I could feel my heart break even more. I opened my mouth to ask another question when I froze, nearly tripping Yoseob in the process. He was there. Not even four feet in front of us. I had the strange urge to go to him, but I couldn’t. Not with the class around me. “You can see things, can’t you?” The question caught me off guard, and I whipped around to face Yoseob. My eyes widened, flitting back and forth between the two. “Is someone there?” 

“Junhyung.” The name slipped out of my mouth before I could stop myself, and I watched both boys tense. I saw the panic gradually settling in Yoseob, his fingers beginning to twitch nervoisly as he clutched the necklace like a lifeline. “No no. He’s not dead, Yoseob. It’s difficult to explain but he’s not dead, I promise you.”

“Not dead.” Junhyung repeated my words even though his friend couldn’t hear them, and my gaze shifted to him. He was even closer now, his fingers twitching. I could practically feel the tension rolling off of him. He wanted to reach out and comfort his friend, but knew he couldn’t.

Yoseob repeated his friends' words, and it would have been comical if there weren’t tears gathering in his eyes. “Not dead...You’re sure?” His gaze was hopeful as he peered up at me, and I was realized that he was actually a couple of inches shorter than myself. I nodded, holding my breath due to the closeness of another human being and the intensity of the situation.

“Don’t let him cry. I hate it when he cries.” Once again, the apparition's words brought a stab of pain to my chest, and this time I couldn’t stop myself from reaching out to grab Junhyung’s hand. He seemed shocked by the action, as though he couldn’t remember me touching his arm or shoulder before, but he clasped my hand in a vice grip-like hold.

“He doesn’t want you to cry.” My own words were choked, and I was both shocked and confused to find that tears were trailing down my cheeks. 

The sound of my voice causes Yoseob to look back at me frozen figure, a flash of shock shining through the sadness. “Why are _you_ crying?” His voice was just as soft as mine, and I held back the urge to sob. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I was just supposed to get some information and go. That was it.

“I don’t know.” I finally answered after a few seconds of awkward silence, and Junhyung gripped my hand even tighter. I switched my gaze to him, this time openly weeping when I saw his own tears and a fresh cut on his face. I squeezed my eyes closed, tilting my head to the ground as I tried to keep it together. “I don’t know what’s happening.” I gasped out, and it rang loud enough for the Professor to join us, placing a comforting hand on my back. I heard him suck in a breath, obviously seeing the new wounds on Junhyung like I had.

“Can you tell us anything else today, Junhyung?” I felt the tremble in my hand as he clenched it even tighter. It felt like my bones would break, even though I knew he wasn’t really here with us. 

“It’s dark. Cold. I-I don’t know.” The quiver had moved to his voice, and I was struggling. It was bad enough seeing that he was in pain, but hearing it in his voice made everything worse. Yoseob seemed to see my pain, and he wrapped a comforting arm around my waist. I didn’t know this kid, I was pretty scared to talk to him, but that didn’t stop me from turning to step into his hold, my sobs muffled by the material of his shirt.

“That’s good, Junhyung. Very good. Any little detail will be a help for us.” The Professor completely ignored my tears, opting to push Junhyung some more, but he wasn’t worried about answering questions. The apparition had joined Yoseob, wrapping his arms around the both of us. I heard Yoseob let out a gasp and felt him shiver at the contact.

“Don’t cry.” He whispered, though to which one of us I didn’t know, since I now felt Yoseob’s tears dripping onto my head.

Then there was nothing. The Professor sighed in frustration and I tore away from Yoseob’s warmth to scan the area. Junhyung was gone. I don’t know why it made a sense of panic flood through my system. “I’ll leave you two to talk.” Then the Professor was gone, and the urge to throw something at him rose in my gut. How heartless did you have to be to leave two of your students a complete mess?

I sunk to my knees with a quieter wail, my hands coming up to grip at my hair. It was the Institution all over again, where I could hear them even through the fog of the meds and couldn’t do anything to help. In that moment, I felt like the epitome of uselessness. The hand on my shoulder pulling me into a surprisingly solid chest was the only clue I had that Yoseob had joined me on the ground. For a few moments he simply held me, trying to fight back his own tears as he rubbed soothing circles into my back while shielding me from his curious classmates. “I don’t know what you’re feeling. I don’t even know what’s going on. But I want to help. Whatever I can do, I will.” His words tore a dry sob from me as one of my hands moved to clutch the front of his shirt. I had to tell him. Everything.


End file.
